Wind Family
by Tony2Shanks
Summary: Short one-shot based on the Power of Us (M21). Just a little snippet of what could have happened after the events of the movie and some of the thoughts of our boy, Ash Ketchum.


My Wind Family

* * *

"The reason that Fula City is still full of people today is because of you, its citizens. You all acted with more bravery and courage than anyone could have asked of you. Everybody played their own role in the crisis, however minimal, and from the bottom of my heart I thank each one of you. I owe all of you my life, much as you do for each other." Mayor Oliver toted on the platform, overlooking the swarming masses of Fula City.

The press was right up front, snapping pictures of those on the stage behind the mayor as well as Oliver himself. They were shoving microphones and cameras forward, but none were daring enough to talk over him at a time like this.

Ash Ketchum stood the furthest off to the side, his loyal Pikachu perched on his right shoulder. They were on the stage with the mayor and their friends, lined up behind him at his request. Ash wished he could do anything other than think about his next adventure, though, since standing around so long had him getting antsy.

He was grateful to the city and he didn't want to be rude, but he felt like his presence was unnecessary at this event.

Margo, the adorable pinkette, had been the one to calm Zeraora from its rage.

Risa, the plucky teenage girl with perhaps more energy than even he, had been the one to return the Eternal Flame to the stadium and summon Lugia.

Toren, the soft-spoken but well-meaning scientist, was the one for developing a cure to the effects Effect Spore had on people and Pokemon across the city.

Harriet, the sweet but angry old lady affectionately called Granny, was the one to get the propellers of the power plant working again.

Callahan, the man who just turned over a new leaf, was responsible for dispersing the cure to the Effect Spore gas.

From what he saw, all he did was help everyone else out. He battled Zeraora, but Pikachu had been holding back due to Zeraora's previous injury and that had nearly cost them the battle and possibly the lives of the nearby Pokemon. Still, he supposed it was nice that the incident wasn't trying to be swept under the rug for once.

Ash and Pikachu were near experts at this by now. Enter town, learn ancient rumors surrounding town are true, meet legendary Pokemon relating to rumors, save it/stop it, let the whole town forget their names and faces in days and pretend it never happened, repeat. Although, this was one of the first times they had run into something on this scale on their own. Usually they were with their friends traveling through the region.

This was certainly the most exciting In-Between they had ever had before.

The In-Between, as Ash and Pikachu had taken to calling it, was the time between journeys where they were mostly just on their way back to Pallet Town to reset before the next adventure began. It was the time after the league ended, after their friends had left them for their own journeys, and usually after the big sticker labeled 'trouble magnet' on Ash was temporarily removed.

Usually.

"But said, there were some of you who went above and beyond today and I'd like to personally thank these people for their efforts in saving Fula City from a chemical attack, a raging fire, and my own misguided intentions." Mayor Oliver turned, gesturing out at them all.

The crowd clapped harder than any league stadium Ash had ever heard before, which was more than a handful at this point. They whistled and hollered, things were thrown into the air and names were chanted. Money, shoes and many other things were thrown onto the stage in a sort of pseudo-tribute to them all and Ash could only blush and look away from the bra that landed at his feet.

"First up, Toren Torito! Toren and his partner Chansey were the ones responsible for developing the countermeasure to the Effect Spore! It is directly thanks to Toren's selfless bravery and intelligence that we stood a chance in saving Fula City!" Oliver declared happily. Oliver walked over to Toren first, placing something metal attached to a blue strap around his neck.

Toren stood furthest left, seemingly slinking into his lab coat at all the praise he was receiving but Ash could see the faintest bit of a smile as he looked over at Chansey and the others on the stage.

Ash had known people like Toren before. Shy, timid, anxious and everything that he wasn't. He could never relate to those kinds of people before, but something about Toren made it easier. They had similar fires inside of them lit by their love of helping others and Pokemon and nothing, not even their greatest fears, were enough to keep them from helping people. Ash respected that about Toren.

"Next, Harriet Hisui! It's because of her and her Pokemon that the power plant was able to be salvaged enough to be used again as a dispersal mechanism! Her engineering genius long ago unknowingly saved the day decades later, along with her compassion and quick thinking that gave us a plan of attack!" Oliver moved over to her next, reaching down to give her the same thing he gave Toren.

Harriet stood calmly, waving at the crowd and accepting the medal as her Pokemon joyously celebrated around her. She had a large crowd of them still, despite the pheromones of Sweet Scent having worn off hours ago. They had bonded now, and Ash knew they would spend forever together.

At first, Ash couldn't relate to Harriet at all. He couldn't imagine not liking Pokemon. His Pokemon were the most important thing in the world to him, up there with his mom. They were his partners, his friends, his family. But the more she was around, the more Ash found himself relating to her. She pulled herself out of a rough patch in her life for the sake of others, all thanks to the Pokemon. Ash knew what it was like to go through a depressive spell, and Harriet bounced back harder than he ever did.

"Next still is Callahan Kagachi! Callahan and his partner Sudowoodo provided Harriet with all the protection and muscle she needed to get to the power plant safely and were the ones who directly applied the cure to the propellers of the plant! Without their incredible strength and friendship, the efforts of everyone would have been in vain!" Oliver repeated his process, placing his gift around Callahan's neck.

Callahan and Sudowoodo joyously waved out at the crowd with both hands after Oliver moved on, with Callahan running up to the stages edge and plucking his niece off the ground. She seemed elated with the attention, her uncle swinging her back and forth for a brief minute before taking her with him to stand in line. In his arms, she played with the medal around his neck.

He was a strange one to Ash, but they got along easily enough. After any confusion on Callahan's initial motivations, they realized they shared a lot of the same qualities. Callahan was just as determined as he was when it came to certain areas, most recently Pokemon, and a devoted love of family was something Ash knew all too well. Callahan would make an excellent uncle and trainer.

"Now we have Risa Rikku! Risa and her partner Eevee were the ones who returned the Eternal Flame to its position on the stadium before the forest fires had a chance to spread any further! It was because of her fearless resolve and her incredible speed that Lugia arrived in time to quell the fires with rains!" Oliver gave her a medal next, and she gushed as she held it with one palm.

Risa happily gave a peace sign out to the audience as she admired her medal with her other hand, Eevee running around her feet happily yapping.

Of them all, Risa was perhaps the easiest he found himself getting along with. She was so excitable, happy and eager to learn about Pokemon he felt like there was nothing she couldn't do. She reminded him of himself, if he was just a little smarter. She was his best friend here, no doubt, and he respected how far she had come in the last few days.

"We all know my daughter, Margo! She too was instrumental in saving the city, as without her kindness and insistence on disobeying me, Zeraora may have never come to trust humans again! Without the bond they developed, I'm sure Fula City wouldn't be as strong as it is today!" Oliver knelt to hug Margo and slipped her medal around her neck.

She giggled, hugging him back and waving wildly at the crowd with both arms after he moved away from her. She glanced around at them all, taking in the happiness around her with genuine childlike wonder.

Margo was the next closest friend Ash had made here, after Risa. He could relate to her childlike demeanor almost too well considering the age difference, but they got along together like a Plusle and Minun. He laughed as she turned to him, showing off her medal like a show off little sister.

"Last but not least in the slightest, Ash Ketchum! Ash and his partner Pikachu were the cornerstone of our rescue efforts! Without his willpower, intuition and faith we may have never found the courage to save the city as quickly as we did! Ash provided support for us all, even when he wasn't by our side by reminding us about the power of Pokemon!"

Oliver put the same medal around his neck as he had with everyone else, the blue ribbon attaching seamlessly to the pendant that hung right above his chest. Ash fiddled with it, turning it to he and Pikachu could see it. It was a gold circle, but on it was a blue feather that seemed to be blowing in the wind, indicated by silver lines swooshing around.

Ash looked up and waved out at the city, Pikachu mirroring him, and then glancing over to the rest of his friends on stage and smiling widely.

"I would also like to take this moment to grant Ash Ketchum permanent citizenship to Fula City! As long as this city is standing, you'll always be welcome here."

Ash thanked Oliver, but it was drowned out by the roar of the crowd and clapping of his friends nearby. He knew this was a big deal, Fula City didn't take citizenship lightly. It was too advanced and drew too big of a crowd with the Wind Festival to be careless like even some of the other metropolises he had visited once upon a time.

It was a bit bitter sweet, he found. Knowing that he might never get the chance to come back despite the privileges granted. His thoughts were interrupted when Oliver moved back to the center of the stage to speak again, drawing everyone's attention.

"Now, I would like to take this moment to be so daring as to proclaim that we owe everything, the Pokemon, our lives, this town, to these people. They were strangers one day, a family the next. But not just any family. Today, you have found your Wind Family!" Oliver smiled, turning around and taking in the lineup again.

They all looked at each other, equally confused but soon found themselves smiling into the term. _Wind Family_. It sounded peaceful, easy, and content. Things they all needed after this adventure.

"So once again, I would like to thank Toren, Harriet, Callahan, Risa, Margo and Ash, Fula Cities Wind Family!" Oliver announced with joy. He waved them all over to the front of the stage, and they all loudly thanked the crowd.

"Smile for the cameras!" Oliver said before Ash could hardly see anymore through the flashes of cameras.

* * *

Ash laid quietly in the grass; arms crossed behind his head as he looked up into the night sky. Pikachu sat beside him, enjoying their time together.

This was more like their usual in-betweens. This was familiar, simple and expected.

But Ash thought as he reached into his jacket pocket, he would miss them. In his hand now was a photograph taken yesterday after the ceremony that Oliver made sure was the one run in local papers and insisted on everyone getting pocket sized versions of.

Ash was in the center, one hand wrapped around his back to support Margo. The girl had her legs crossed around his waist and was only holding onto his neck with one arm, using the other to wave happily out at the camera. His other arm was out and hooked with Risa's, side-by-side grins matched their partner Pokemon that stood on their outstretched arms.

Toren sat in front of them, leaning back to back with Chansey as they both gave their best smiles to the camera. To Risa's other side was Machamp, holding Harriet on one shoulder. Xatu, Heracross and Tyrogue stood at Machamp's feet, beaming outward while Machamp's other hands were filled with Totodile, Marill, Togepi and Smoochum, who looked like they were having the time of their lives.

On Ash's other side was Callahan, effortlessly letting his niece Kellie sit on his shoulders as she waved both arms through the air. One arm went to her leg, steadying her, and the other was wrapped around Sudowoodo in a side-hug, who saluted the camera with one hand and returned the side-hug with the other.

Ash smiled at the picture again, glancing down at Pikachu.

He already had a family. In fact, he probably wasn't exaggerating to say he could have multiple other families already. But still, each was unique in their own way and he rather liked the sound of this one.

_Wind Family. _

"Think we'll see 'em again, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"Pika, Pikachuchu Pikapi. Chaaaa."

"Yeah your right buddy. Maybe we will one day, if we're lucky." Ash paused and sighed, closing his eyes. Pikachu got that it was time for sleep and crawled onto his chest, curling into a ball and letting a soft noise of contentment.

"'Night buddy." Ash said through a chuckle.

Pikachu gave a "Kaa" back, quietly.

"Goodnight you guys." He said quietly.

Pikachu didn't reply this time, or even ask. He knew who Ash was talking to. They smiled as they drifted into sleep, thoughts the same.

_Our Wind Family._

* * *

**Just a little something I couldn't stop thinking about. _The Power of Us _is probably my new favorite Pokemon movie and I really wanted to write _something _for it. This is just a one-shot, I don't really have any plans to continue this further as of now but I learned to never say never a long time ago. Sorry if it's worse than usual, I kinda wrote more from the heart on this one.**

**This isn't the story I mentioned in my last authors note of "A Hero's Rebirth" either, that's an entirely new beast lol. Like I said, maybe you guys will see it soon, maybe not. B****ut let me know what you guys think of this while I hopefully get my work done and continue writing for you guys, both new and old stuff!**


End file.
